Inspiration can come from any part of life. A movie, a family member or simply an interest from childhood. Early sparks of attraction can shape who one grows up to be and how they view life. For the staff who once served in the military, curiosity played a big role in helping them to decide where they wanted to go in life.

“I was always inspired by airplanes and flying,” Info Tech teacher John Leisge said. “I used to sit on the roof of my house and watch planes land at Buckley.”

Both Leisge and library assistant Stacy Magalong served in the United States Air Force for six years.

A lot of interest in the military stems from long before adulthood, childhood intrigue or enjoyment in certain things. Family, stories, uniforms, photographs and more can also inspire a person to do the same as what they grew up around.

“Both of my grandfathers were in the military and my oldest brother was in the military,” Magalong said. “I joined because it was a crossroads in my life. I could go down one way or the other. I decided to do Air Force.” 

While Magalong and Leisge found their place in the Air Force, AP Physics teacher Jack Van Natta took to the Navy. 

“The movie Top Gun came out when I was in high school. It solidified my desire to go Navy vs. Air Force,” Van Natta said.

For twenty years, Van Natta spent his time mesmerized by aircraft, flying planes such as the F-14 Tomcat and E-2C Hawkeye. Even as a child the idea of flying and different machinery captivated him. 

“I was always amazed by helicopters,” Van Natta said. “I thought it would be amazing to land and take off from an aircraft carrier.” 

In the case of social studies teacher Dominic Markham, knowing he wanted to enlist was the easy part; which branch was what stumped him. Family legacy and early experiences with the military surrounded him. 

“I grew up hearing about my grandfather in the Korean War and other ancestors serving in Pearl Harbor, Belleau Wood, and Hue City,” Markham said. “It never was about ‘fighting for freedoms.’ It came down to trying to make the world a better and safer place.”

“I scored a 99 out of 100 on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) [test to get into the military] so I had every branch calling me up,” Markham said. “I thought about the Army and going to combat and how that could make the biggest difference in the world. I did what any rational 19-year-old would do: I flipped a coin. Heads came up, and I was happy with the result, so I joined the Army.”

What began as a childhood fascination ended up shaping each one of these teachers’ lives and stayed with them to this day, shaping young minds in every way they can.